Born in Milan on November 9, 1963, Antonacci was raised in Rozzano. While studying geometry, in 1988 he entered the annual Festival di Sanremo with his song "Voglio Vivere in un Attimo," scoring a recording contract immediately thereafter. His debut LP, Sono Cose Che Capitano, appeared a year later, but attracted little attention at radio or retail. However, its 1991 follow-up, Adagio Biagio, sold in excess of 150,000 copies, launching Antonacci to national fame. He returned to Festival di Sanremo in 1993 to perform "Non So Più a Chi Credere" in support of his third album, Liberatemi, which became his first platinum album in Italy. Subsequent efforts including 1996's Il Mucchio and 1998's Mi Fai Stare Bene solidified Antonacci's superstar status; the latter reigns as one of the best-selling albums in Italian music history. Antonacci's first live effort, 9 Novembre 2001, followed in 2001.

After spending the next several years on tour, including treks to Spain and South America, the singer resurfaced in 2004 with Conviviendo, Pt. 1, issuing its sequel a year later. The two albums both reached number one and combined to reach platinum status in Italy an amazing 14 times over. Vicky Love from 2007 and Inaspettata from 2010 both kept Antonacci's star burning brightly. Even an album of re-recorded hits (Il Cielo Ha una Porta Sola) that appeared in 2008 went platinum three times over.

Antonacci kept the hits coming in the 2010s. After the release of his number one album Inaspettata in 2010, 2012's Sapessi Dire No spent twelve weeks at the top of the Italian chart. His 12th studio album, 2014's L'Amore Comporta, also reached number one. ~ Jason Ankeny